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Trip Start Sep 20, 2007 Trip End Sep 26, 2007 Next
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  Zelenograd and Moscow, Russia
Monday, September 24, 2007

We're staying with Pastor Pavel and his family; they now have a new apartment in the church building, and it is very nice. We have known each other so long that we feel quite at home--making a cup of tea and grabbing a few cookies whenever we want, etc. We're even wearing their slippers (they remove their shoes when they come in the door) to keep our toes warm while we're in the house.

The weather has ranged from a bit cool to quite comfy. The trees (mostly birch) are starting to turn yellow and orange, but the pines are still lush and green. Zelenograd, a suburb of Moscow, is a walking city, which I really like. It's fun to see people out and about and interacting. Parking lots are very small because most people ride the buses or walk to shop or get to school or work. We've taken a walk each day so far.

Saturday we visited Red Square and some other sites in Moscow, such as Moscow State University. Actually, instead of going inside the university, which we've done before, we spent our time across the street, which has an area that overlooks the city. Moscow State University is one of 7 Art Deco buildings built by Stalin, and several of the remaining 6 are visible from this view of the city. Because of the view, this place is popular among locals and tourists; consequently, a flea market has sprung up to take advantage of the numerous potential customers. There's always a small music group playing, several kiosks selling local food, and several bridal parties that visit monuments and other destination spots after the weddings. We saw brides and limousines at Red Square too.

Red Square and every place else we've seen (including Zelenograd, where we're staying) look the best we've seen then in the 12 or so years we've been coming here. Buildings are freshly painted, flower beds are planted, and new buildings and businesses are cropping up. Much has changed since our first trip.

Included here are a few photos, definitely not our best. Not expecting to be able to connect to the Internet, etc., we didn't bring the necessary cords to download pictures from our camera. The photos attached here were taken on Tom's iphone, which easily downloads to his Mac.

We're getting ready to meet the vice mayor of Zelenograd, so I must sign off now. More later.

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Inside GUM	Overlooking the city	Cafe inside GUM	Medicine
Red Square	Sunset with an onion	The Unknown Soldier	Zelenograd church

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